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INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Bedbugs, international panic and local legends

From decoding the latest international panic about France (on the unlikely subject of bedbugs) to crime in rural France, holiday tips and a local legend, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 7 October 2023 09:50 CEST
Inside France: Bedbugs, international panic and local legends
View of the harbour at Marseille. Photo: The Local

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

Punaise!

France appears to be at the centre of an international media storm this week on the unlikely subject of bedbugs – from panic-stricken headlines to endless memes and social media jokes, it seems that the US and UK are very interested in France’s bug problem.

But does France truly have a worse bedbug problem than anywhere else? Evidence for this is rather sketchy – which of course has not stopped politicians and media pundits from getting involved.

Most of the memes have at least been amusing, but the debate has also taken a rather darker turn – a French right-wing media pundit asked if immigrants with “lower standards of hygiene” were to blame for the rise in bedbug reports, while foreign media have implied that it is the French themselves who are dirty and unhygienic.

Time for a factcheck – bedbugs have nothing to do with hygiene and can appear in even the most immaculately clean homes and tourist accommodation. In fact luxury hotels (including those in Paris and Las Vegas) have been the site of recent infestations. 

That’s not to say that bedbugs aren’t a problem – I know several people in Paris who have had an infestation at their apartment, and apart from the inconvenience and horrible itchy bites the biggest problem is the incredible cost of getting an extermination, easily up to €600. 

That’s one of the reasons the Paris deputy mayor is calling on the government to create a national bedbug action plan (that’s the guy who said that “no-one is safe” from bedbugs. Or did he?).

Talking France

The Talking France podcast might have a few DIY sounds in the background this week, as I recorded it from my attic deep in rural Charente, but we still managed to have a good chat – crime in rural France, the new protocol for neighbour disputes, why Paris may be tripling its tourist tax and why baguettes taste different these days. Listen here or on the link below. 

Holiday tips

And if you’re after a French holiday tip, I can highly recommend the night train from Paris to Nice. You hop on board in Paris in the evening (bring your own wine and crisps, is my recommendation as there is no buffet car), are lulled to sleep by the rocking of the carriage and then wake up just in time for breakfast in Nice. 

Icon of the week 

You’ll probably remember the video of Irish rugby coach Ronan O’Gara’s team talk in La Rochelle, with its distinctive English/French language blend.

Well, if this flag – spotted at the World Cup – is anything to go by, the talk is well on the way to earning him legend status. Think I’m going to start using this in The Local’s editorial meetings . . .

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

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INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Political farce, far-right fears and sharks under Paris

This week in France has been heavily focused on politics due to the surprise election, from the soap opera and the memes of the right-wing parties to grumpy faces among the Macronists, plus some light relief in the form of the weird stuff underneath Paris.

Published: 15 June 2024 11:41 CEST
Inside France: Political farce, far-right fears and sharks under Paris

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

Ciotti chuckles

Anyone who says that the French have no sense of humour has clearly not spent any time on French social media this week as the jokes and memes came thick and fast in response to the ridiculous election shenanigans of the once-mighty right-wing Les Républicains party.

You can find the full details here but to cut a long story short, party leader Eric Ciotti announced an election alliance with the far-right, his fellow party bigwigs were horrified and attempted to expel him, Ciotti locked himself inside the party HQ and refused to allow anyone in, leaders held their meeting elsewhere and voted to expel him from the party, Ciotti refused to accept their verdict and posted a video of him showing up at work as normal the following day, insisting he was still in charge.

The whole thing was a gift for anyone with a Twitter account and a sense of humour. 

Sense of humour

The whole idea that ‘the French aren’t funny’ is an oddly enduring trope. I think it’s to do with the fact that French humour is often highly referential, making it hard for foreigners to get if they don’t understand the references.

READ ALSO 5 tips for understanding French humour and jokes

Far right

Funny as the whole Ciotti episode was, it didn’t quite distract from the widespread horror in France at the prospect of a far-right government, and bafflement over Emmanuel Macron’s high-stakes election gamble.

His announcement on Sunday night of a snap election took the country and the media entirely by surprise and seemed to catch plenty of his own party members off guard too.

The election is a gamble – un pari – Macron is banking on the country to reject the far-right at the polls and hand his party back an absolute majority in parliament. This could happen, or Marine Le Pen’s party could win and Macron would then go down in history as the man who handed the keys of government to the far-right. Or – and most analysts think this is the most likely scenario – no party could win an absolute majority and the parliament could be plunged into an even more messy deadlock.

READ ALSO What do the snap elections mean for France?

One of the most outspoken critics has been Gabriel Attal, the 35-year-old prime minister often described as a Macron protege. This photo of him with a face like thunder has become another meme, embodying all those who think that this election is a very bad idea. 

Talking France

We of course talk about the elections in a special episode of the Talking France podcast – listen here. During the election period we will be releasing the podcast on Mondays, and we will also be doing a bi-weekly election breakdown for anyone who wants to stay in touch with the latest – sign up here.

Sharknado

And if you want something to help you switch off from all the politics, I highly recommend the new Netflix film Sous la Seine (Under Paris). Not because it’s good – it’s not, in fact it’s terrible but it’s so bad that it’s actually hilarious. 

One thing that you might write off as dramatic licence is the idea of an enormous underground lake beneath Paris – but this is actually true. In fact, there’s a lot weird shit under Paris . . .

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

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